This invention relates generally to therapeutic braces and, more particularly, to a wrist brace for therapeutic support of a wrist of a patient.
Frequently, after a stroke or after the onset of a muscle-attacking disease, such as cerebral palsy, a patient's hand may become involuntarily closed or clenched and the wrist may be involuntarily fixed in a palmarflexion position. So that the patient may have use of his or her hands, it is desirable that the patient undergo therapy to open the clenched fist and to urge the wrist toward a neutral or dorsiflexion position.
Splints and braces are typically used to hold the wrist in a neutral position. The angle at which the splints and braces hold the wrist is generally not adjustable with such splints and braces. However, the desirable degree of flexion or extension may vary from patient to patient and may even vary in an individual patient depending upon the progress of the patient's therapy. Thus, a single brace construction may not accommodate different patients and may not accommodate an individual patient throughout his or her entire therapy.